My Blue Reflection
by thew40
Summary: [COMPLETE] Sequel to Deus Ex Machina. Faker has hunted HeMan all the way to Primus! But how as Faker changed since their last encounter? Please R&R!
1. Who's There?

Author's Note:

As usual, these characters (with the exception of the super-hero team Patheon) don't belong to me. They belong to Mattel. This will come as no surprise to anyone, but "My Blue Reflection" is in the same continuity as "Preludes and Beginnings," "He-Man Year One," "The Elfsong of Eternia," "The Crossroads of Destiny," "Prophecy & Change," "Just Another Day," "Liberty and Valor," "Manifest Destiny," "Roots," "Dues Ex Machina," "The Final Adventure," "A Winter's Heart," and "The Shroud of the Horde." Whew!

This story is the sequel to "Dues Ex Machina." I highly recommend you read that before reading this.

Chapter One: "Who's There?"

Yesterday.

An explosion went off on Denebria. It was fairly self-contained, wiping out the entire compound. No Mutants lost their lives, as it was off-hours when it exploded. However, this was a particularly important facility to Flogg and his campaign against Primus. This was the back-up genetic engineering facility, housing the still-developing Patheon clones. No more, however, as explosions tore apart the entire base.

"What was it?" asked Flogg, his patience gone as he stared at the burning slag that was once the prize jewel in his research facilities.

"Bomb, most definitely," responded one of the investigators.

"Flogg . . . we detected that energy spike a few minutes before hand," Skeletor reminded him, his cape fluttering in the wind. Off on the horizon, the three suns of the Tri-Solar System were slowly rising.

"Primus."

Skeletor nodded. "Exactly."

Flogg paused, eyes fixed on the compound as the fire was slowly put out.

"Have a small retaliatory force go to Primus. Cause an equal amount of damage."

Skeletor bowed a little. "Your wish is my command, Flogg."

Flogg grunted, but didn't say anything. He let Skeletor walk off, back to their transport ship.

XXX

Today.

"Amazing."

Mara smiled. He-Man sat next to her, bent over and staring at the ancient wall before them. It had been three weeks since the Patheon was defeated and in the lack of Mutant activity afterwards, He-Man and Mara took a little trip. They were in an area from east of the Oasis, in the region called Mida. It was here that ancient Primian civilization had left their remains for investigation and research. The Ancient Ruins.

"How old are these?" asked He-Man.

"They say these date back to the Third Primian Dynasty. Nearly 5,000 years ago."

"Huh."

He-Man stood up, knocking the dirt off his pants. Mara smiled up at him, but then looked back at the wall, continuing her study of the sigils.

This was by far the strangest relationship He-Man had ever been in. He had dated back on Eternia. He had Teela chasing after him. He nearly married Kathryn. But Mara was just so different. Even Kathryn knew about his dual identity. He had been tempted to tell Teela many times. But Mara . . . Mara, he felt like he could just be He-Man all of the time. His time as Adam had been few and far in between since the end of the battle with the Patheon.

He-Man suddenly heard his communicator beep. He pulled out and watched as Flipshot appeared on the screen. During their interactions with the Patheon, Flipshot had gotten on the wrong side of a woman that had the power to alter someone's DNA. This meant, unfortunately, that Flipshot was currently trapped in the form of a female. He was taking it better than he had right afterward, but it seemed as though every day or so was a new drama with the former male.

"What is it?" asked He-Man, still trying to get used to seeing Flipshot as a female.

"Sorry to cut your time off early, He-Man, but we've got some Mutant Terror Pods on their way, coming to ruin our day."

"How many?"

"Five. We've scrambled some Astro Subs, but we're not sure how many we can cut off before they get to the Oasis Hole."

"Understood. We'll back in the Oasis as soon as we can."

He-Man cut off the com-line and turned to Mara, who was already packing up their camping gear. "Sorry," he offered.

She shook her head. "That's what I get for dating a super-hero, right?"

He-Man smiled. "'Super-hero?' That's a new one."

Mara kissed him. "Let's get to work, my good sir."

It took He-Man and Mara about an hour and a half to arrive in the Oasis. He cut the transport's engines about a mile from the landing zone.

"Stay here," He-Man said back to Mara as he rushed headlong into battle.

Mara rolled her eyes. She absolutely hated it when he did that. Just because she worked for Sebrian and the Inner Council didn't mean she had no fighting skills. He could be very condescending without even meaning it. But she kept this to herself for now and watched as He-Man ran towards the battle.

He-Man leapt in, Sword of Power drawn. Butthead, Staghorn, Lizorr, and Optikk stood near a pair of Astro Subs, weapons blazing. He-Man deflected the beams as he joined Flipshot and Hydron behind a large rock that served as cover.

"This it?" asked He-Man.

"Yeah," Hydron replied, laser pistol firing heavily.

"Have you contacted the other Galactic Guardians yet?"

"They're on their way, but some of them had to hold off some of the Terror Pods that are heading to Onnar."

"Any idea what this is all about?"

"We heard something about an explosion on Denebria," Flipshot answered then. "They're blaming us."

"Such nice guys."

A small explosion went off nearby. All three looked to each other. "Seems they've upped their artillery," Hydron remarked.

"Sure seems that way," Flipshot added, adjusting her helmet.

"We need to end this. Get ready to cover me."

He-Man hoisted his shield up and readied his Sword of Power. He was just about to jump out from their spot when there was a sudden roar of energy and light directly to their left. All of the fire fighting spotted as energy cascaded about ten feet from both positions.

"What on Primus?" yelped Hydron as both team stopped and watched the energy begin to die out.

The energy soon vanished and a woman appeared where it once swirled and exploded. Her white dress and long blonde hair danced in the wind. In her hand was an all-too-familiar sword . . .

"SHE-RA!" shouted He-Man.

"Hello, He-Man," She-Ra replied. "Looks like I got here just in time!"

"You got that right, toots!" yelled Butthead, rushing towards the Princess of Power. He-Man, Flipshot and Hydron all jumped out. Hydron intercepted Lizorr and Flipshot took on Staghorn.

She-Ra slammed her fist against the face of Butthead when he came rushing over to her. Butthead flew back a good ten feet and was defeated.

"He's no Ram-Man, right She-Ra?" asked He-Man, smiling broadly and happily. He just couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that She-Ra was here with him, fighting by his side once more.

She-Ra laughed a little as He-Man dispatched Optikk. The Mutant began to make for the Astro Subs. The others joined him.

"This isn't over, Guardians!" hissed Lizorr.

"I'm betting it isn't," He-Man grunted.

The two Astro Subs took off, blasting towards the Oasis Hole.

"Oh," She-Ra then said. "They got away."

"They did, but it's all right." He-Man then turned to Hydron. "What's the word on the others?"

"Astro Subs that were heading towards Onnar have been destroyed," Flipshot responded, hand to his headset. "We're in the clear."

"Stand down from the alert status, then."

He-Man then turned back to his sister. She-Ra was smiling rather stupidly, apparently just as happy to see He-Man as he was to see her. It had been nearly two and a half years.

"I'm here!" yelled Mara, arriving on the scene.

He-Man turned to her and waved his hands to She-Ra. "Seems we've got a visitor, Mara!" He-Man announced.

"Oh yeah?" Mara asked. "Is this . . . are you She-Ra?"

"I am," She-Ra replied, shaking Mara's hand. She had quite the strong grip.

"Nice to meet you. He-Man has told me a lot about you."

"Oh! How nice!" She-Ra giggled.

"How did you find me?" asked He-Man. "How did you get here?"

"The Sorceress helped me, He-Man."

"Ah, I see." He-Man turned to the others. "Why don't you all check in with Onnar? She-Ra and I have some catching up to do."

Mara nodded, though not completely happy with that.

With the other Galactic Guardians departing, He-Man and She-Ra walked towards Sebrian's estate, which was nearby. They sat down on bench at the edge of the property.

"So, how is everything on Eternia?" asked He-Man.

"Just fine!" she replied. "Everything is a-okay back home!"

He-Man smiled and nodded, but wanted a little more information. "Snake Mountain not giving you any trouble?"

"Nope!"

"What about King Hiss? Did you ever encounter him?"

"Nope!"

He-Man's smile diminished. It seemed a little strange that Hiss wouldn't take advantage of his and Skeletor's absence. "Really?"

"Oh yeah! I never saw him!"

He-Man shrugged. "What about Teela and Duncan? Cringer and Orko? Are they all okay?"

"Just fine, He-Man! Not a prob-proble-problem with them!"

Perking an eyebrow, He-Man leaned back. "And what about our parents?"

She-Ra's head jerked. "Parents? Parents?"

"Yeah. Our parents. You know . . . King Randor and Queen Marlena?"

"Rand? Marl?" She-Ra responded, her voice still ever-so-happy. "Parents? Parents? Parents?"

"Yes, She-Ra. Our parents. She-Ra? Are you okay? Sis?"

"Sis? Sis. Sis. Parents? Parents. Ena. Or. Sis." She then went completely silent. Her eyes went shut. They then snapped right back open. "Hello He-Man! Looks like I arrived right on time!"

"You're not She-Ra, are you?"

"Hello He-Man!"

He-Man stood up, Sword of Power drawn. "Reveal yourself. NOW."

She-Ra stood up too. Her eyes closed and her eyelids started to flutter beneath. Her flesh then suddenly turned blue. Her hair waved up and went orange-red. Her white dress turned black and her trimmings went silver. When her eyes came back open, they were glowing red.

"I AM FAKE-RA!"

She-Ra lurched at He-Man, faux orange-colored Sword of Protection drawn. He-Man deflected the blade. He shoved Fake-Ra back, sending her against a tree. As soon as he struck it, her body seemed to explode a little. Blue, fog-like energy flowed from her shattered body and dissipated in the air.

He-Man ran over an investigated her body. The blow was not meant to destroy Fake-Ra, only to stun her. However, she was apparently quite fragile. He-Man took a good look at her and was stunned by what he saw.

She was Mutant Trooper, Patheon model.


	2. His and Hers

Chapter Two: "His and Hers"

Flipshot awoke the same way he had the past three weeks. Both dainty feet landed on the floor of his apartment and his new, female body stood up and stretched.

He was starting to get used to this new body – the soft and mostly hairless skin wasn't too bad. The feeling of being light on his toes (he was now only 127 pounds – dropping down from 200 pounds) was still an adjustment. The sound of his voice – higher, now, and far more feminine – was quite awkward, but he was slowly adapting to its tone and pitch. The slimmer hands were still learning their way around the Starship Eternia's controls and loosing four inches had been more difficult than he would have imagined.

Not all of the changes were so easy, however. Guys looked at his chest now. Not to mention the loss of his manhood. This had all been quite hard on Flipshot, almost traumatic. But he adapted. He did his best.

Showering, he washed his hair with some shampoo Drissi or Mara had given him. He hated the hair and had been meaning to get its upper-back length cut.

Wet hair clinging to his small back and thin shoulders, Flipshot padded his female body off, then pulled on a robe.Flipshot stood in front of his mirror and brushed his long hair, hating it once again. Then, under the advisement of Mara and Drissi and with much skill, he managed to get it up in a towel. It added a bit of strange weight to the top of his head, but he was all too used to strange weight.

Despite the hair care, there were certain things that Flipshot downright refused to do. He kept his nails trimmed and wore no make-up. He understood that he would need to apply facial care to his face to prevent breakouts and whatnot and he did so only out of necessity. But there was no make-up, no jewelry, and absolutely nothing to make himself look less like a guy than he really was. Considering his current body, it was a close to futile goal.

After cutting his nails that sat at the end of his small fingers, Flipshot walked over to the dresser. Sitting next to his piles of underwear and socks was bunch of panties and bras. As plain as you could get them.

After dealing with those, he took his hair out and brushed it again. Then – after a long time of perfecting it – he managed to get his hair back into a big bun on the back of his head. It looked rather (and he admitted this to himself only with a long internal groan) cute.

Flipshot then got dressed the rest of the way, then checked himself out. Like most mornings, the sight of himself as a woman was still hard to get used to. Then, with all of this done, Flipshot walked out of _her_ apartment and went to work.

Flipshot arrived at the Onnar command center half an hour later, prepared for the morning briefing. He grabbed a cup of coffee and joined the others in the command bunker. He-Man, being as nice and moral as he could, avoided looking at Flipshot's rack. The other Galactic Guardians were present as well and they seem to give the former male a wide berth.

"Good morning," Hydron addressed, entering the room and walking in front of a large array of monitors. "As you know, yesterday we were attacked by Mutant Enforcers from Denebria. They claimed to be attacking in retaliation for an explosion of the surface of Denebria. Both our satellite images and our contacts on Denebria have confirmed that this was the Back-Up Patheon Genetic Process Plant. Someone totally destroyed it. Which is good news, of course.

"However . . . there's been an uncomfortable development. One of those Patheon model Mutant Troopers was apparently set to emulate one of He-Man's allies from Eternia. We can't be certain, but we believe that this Patheon Trooper was not associated with the Mutants."

"How are we sure about that?" asked Kayo then. "The attack could have been a ruse and He-Man's friend helped us against them just to lure us under a sense of security."

"It's been considered," He-Man replied. "But I'm not quite sure I agree with that. The Patheon Processing Plant was destroyed and our contacts have stated that nothing out of the ordinary has been happening."

"It could have been a fluke. Something could have gone wrong at the plant. Skeletor may have created this duplicate and it was just caught in the explosion, hence why it broke down so easily," Hydron followed up. "We're not sure, really. But, we did track the energy signature that the Patheon Trooper had teleported in on. It takes us just outside of the Tri-Solar System. He-Man, Flipshot, and I are going to investigate. The rest of you are on patrol duty. Make sure the Mutants don't make anymore retaliatory strikes."

XXXX

He-Man sat back in his chair, eyes fixed on the star scape as it zoomed by. Flipshot and Hydron were busy maintaining course and speed, as well as the cloaking device, which allowed He-Man to gain some introspection on the events occurring around him.

What was unknown to the rest of the Galactic Guardians was that the Patheon She-Ra had proclaimed itself as Fake-Ra – a twist of Faker. Add to that the color scheme, and it suddenly looked familiar. But Faker was destroyed. Years ago, back in the Elven realm of Oris. He sacrificed himself to save He-Man.

He-Man hadn't even thought about the possibility of Faker surviving. He hadn't even though about Faker since then. Except . . . except for the other 'evil He-Man' Skeletor created last year. He-Slave, he had been called, composed of the exact opposite molecular structure of He-Man. He-Slave had been destroyed, which had surfaced thoughts on Faker.

He-Man pushed all that way. It irrelevant. Faker had been the creation of Skeletor. So could Fake-Ra, just using whatever was available to him at the moment. Which was, of course, the Patheon Genetic Processing Plant.

Were there more, though? Were there others? A Faker Teela? Or Faker Battle-Cat?

"He-Man, take a look at this," Flipshot said, that light voice starting to sound familiar.

He-Man got up and walked over to Flipshot's station. A small ship sat a few kilometers from them, power barely on.

"Life-signs?"

"One," Flipshot replied.

"Prepare to dock, then," He-Man ordered.

The Starship Eternia turned in space and moved up against the hull of the small ship. The docking arm extended and locked in with the airlock on the ship. After it was secured, He-Man, Hydron and Flipshot moved forward, weapons at the ready. The computer on the Eternia was programmed to teleport them off with just a quick signal.

The airlock door clanked open and fizzed. Standing there, under poor blinking lights and with blasts of exhaust blasting sporadically throughout the cabin was Genetix.

"YOU!" shouted Flipshot.

"Finally! Someone to rescue me from this hole!" Genetix said loudly. "Granted, your Primians and not Mutants, but anything is better than nothing . . ."

"We're not doing anything until you turn me back into a man!" Flipshot yelled, cutting off He-Man and Hydron before they even had the chance to speak.

"Can we get off this ship first? It's pretty unstable. After that, I'll do what I can."

"AND answer all of our questions," He-Man debated.

"Of course, of course. Whatever. Let's just go, huh?"

The four left the small vessel. Within minutes, the Starship Eternia detached from the smaller vessel and steered away.

"You have an evil twin," Genetix said to He-Man as soon as they blasted back towards Primus. "And I don't mean He-Slave."

"Faker," He-Man replied.

"That's right. He had me manipulate some Patheon Troopers. Turn them into people you knew, except like him. Blue and evil."

He-Man nodded, his fear confirmed. "To what end?"

"I'm not sure. What I am sure about is that he is very powerful. Almost more energy than his cybernetic body can handle."

"That'll do for now. Now, fix her – um, I mean him."

Genetix looked Flipshot over. "You were that guy who was hitting on me, right?"

"Yes!"

"You're kinda hot."

"Just turn me back, okay?"

"You should have done it on your by now. It wasn't supposed to last this long."

"What do you mean?"

"It's been three Primian weeks, right? The changes I made to you were only supposed to last a week. The only way it wouldn't be change is if . . . well . . . did you have your period yet?"

Flipshot's face turned beat red. "No."

"Then you're probably pregnant."

Flipshot literally fell back. Genetix looked over to He-Man and Hydron. "Which one of you are the father?"

"I'm not pregnant," Flipshot groaned, pulling herself up. "I haven't . . . you know . . ."

"Really? I mean, I thought you'd try it out at least once. I mean, look at He-Man! If I looked like you, I'd love to get into those pants!"

Flipshot smacked his hand to his face. "Please just figure this out."

Genetix walked over and rolled up Flipshot's sleeve. "Okay. Let's check you out." Her fingers ran across Flipshot's left arm, reading the DNA while her armor took measurements of the hormones, vital signs, and whatnot.

"Did you find out anything yet?"

"Yes. You're not pregnant. It's my fault. I put into place the wrong programming." She then looked down. "I'm sorry. I mean that."

Genetix placed her hands on Flipshot's feminine cheeks and concentrated.

"When you wake up in the morning, you'll be back to your old manly self."

Flipshot nodded, ponytail bopping behind her as he did. "Thanks," she whispered.

"You're welcome. As much as I regret misprogramming the change, I do hope this experience has taught you something about women . . ."

Flipshot shrugged. "I guess, yeah."

"Good. All right, Primians, what now?"

"You're coming back to Primus with us, that's for damn sure," He-Man replied.

"Not a problem," Genetix agreed.

XXXX

Master Sebrian awoke from his nap with the sound of his doorbell ringing repeatedly. He gained his strength and pulled up himself up from his couch. His weary bones walked him over to his door. Upon opening it, he found a very excited Caz waiting for him.

"Yes? What is it, Caz?"

"Something's happening . . ."

"What do you mean?"

"You better come with me."

Sebrian nodded, grabbed his staff and followed Caz out across his lawn and down about two miles down the road. It was there, sitting at the bottom of a valley, was a dome of blue light and energy. Power swirled within it, unbridled and strong.

Master Sebrian lifted up his communicator. "Attention all Galactic Guardians – come to the Oasis immediately. We have an emergency situation." He then changed bands. "Alcon, Gepple, Meloc, and Krex – you must come to the Oasis as fast you can with as much scanning equipment as you can muster."

"What are you going to do?" asked Caz.

"Shhhh," Sebrian chided and focused his mind on the dome. He could sense some kind of life-form within it, and so he sought it out. However, the stronger he pushed, the harder it became to get in touch with it.

"Master Sebrian, I came as fast as I could!" Mara shouted, arriving on the scene. "What is that thing?"

"I'm not sure, but I can sense a life form within it."

Quite, then, there was burst of energy before them all. A man appeared, wearing a red bodysuit underneath a blue body armor. A yellow helmet sat upon his blue head and hair. Had they known, Sebrian and Caz would have thought this was some sort of Faker version of Man-At-Arms, as it was.

Faker-At-Arms leapt forward and grabbed hold of Mara.

"No worries. You shall be safe," Faker-At-Arms assured Mara.

"LET ME GO!" she yelled, struggling against his grip.

Laser beams suddenly swept in, firing around Faker-At-Arms. Faker-At-Arms looked and saw the rest of the Galactic Guardians standing at attention, ready for battle: Kayo, Vizar, Nocturna, Tuskador, Artilla, Spinwit, and Sagitar.

"You heard the later," Kayo threatened. "Let her go."

Faker-At-Arms froze, but maintained his grip of Mara. Just then, however, Faker appeared. He emerged from the energy dome and waved his hand at both Mara and Faker-At-Arms. The pair vanished and Faker turned to the face the Galactic Guardians.

"Prepare yourselves for battle," Faker proclaimed, ready for a fight.


	3. Reflections

Chapter Three – "Reflections"

"Lord Flogg! Look at this!" Optikk exclaimed from his station aboard the Mothership. Flogg stood up from his chair and walked over to Optikk's command station. Skeletor, curious as ever, followed.

The trio stared at sensor image of Primus, indicating a massive surge of energy on the surface, in the Oasis. Not far from where they had attacked just the day before hand. Skeletor was troubled about what the Mutants had reported back – that She-Ra was on Primus. If that were so, then she could help He-Man undo everything that Skeletor had set into motion here on Denebria.

And with this energy surge . . . was this a mass transit? A portal? Perhaps some sort of up-graded Cosmic Key?

Something just didn't add up to Skeletor. The bombing of the Processing Plant. It didn't seem He-Man's style, nor the Primians. Skeletor knew He-Man, after all these long years of battle and war and he knew just how He-Man handled things. That explosion was not typical of He-Man. His telling Flogg to strike out at the Primians (to further the war between Primus and the Mutants) notwithstanding, Skeletor knew that it was not He-Man.

Skeletor left the bridge and made for his quarters. He sat down in his chair and held out his Havoc Staff. He concentrated all of his thought onto that energy surge that was growing and developing off on Primus. His whispered and chanted and searched both his magic and his own mind for an answer.

It was not teleportation. That kind of pattern did not transport, it created. Or recreated. But what? How?

He knew immediately that the person behind the energy surge was the same man behind the bombing. That person was not He-Man. Most defiantly not He-Man.

Not He-Man . . .

Just how did He-Man survive the fall of the Carrier only a few weeks before hand? Someone must have rescued him. A friend? Or perhaps a foe that wanted to save He-Man only to make sure he was the one that killed him in the end?

Not He-Man . . .

It was a thought that stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn't He-Man. It couldn't have been He-Man. But then . . . who was it?

That was when it clicked.

It wasn't He-Man at all . . . and yet, it was.

"Faker."

XXXX

"Strike hard," Kayo ordered. This was a code, of course. The other Galactic Guardians moved into position, flanking Kayo. "Strike fast!" he then followed up, completing the coded orders.

At that moment, winds came flying out from Spinwit. These struck Faker in concert with laser blasts from Artilla. Faker held his ground and deflected the laser beams with his blade.

"Everything that He-Man can do, I can do," Faker stated.

At the moment, Sagitar and Tuskador rushed forward. Faker leapt up, striking Sagitar in the face with his boots. He then slammed himself into Tuskador, throwing the armored warrior tumbling back. Faker grabbed hold of Tuskador's arms and tossed him into Sagitar.

Suddenly, Faker felt both an intense punch to his back and then one across his face. Nocturna and Vizar swept up against Faker with both stealth and strength.

Faker kicked Vizar, then jabbed him in the throat. Vizar crashed onto his back. Nocturna leapt in, leg extending for a kick. Faker blocked it and rammed his elbow against Nocturna's gut, then punched him twice in the face. Vizar was down.

Faker was all of a sudden lifted off the ground, being lifted up in a mini-tornado. As he was spun around, Artilla went into position, weapons firing. Faker, however, was a faster computer system. While the cyborg faux He-Man took hits, his blade moved quickly, deflected the major blasts. At last, then, he swung and one of the blasts struck Spinwit. The tornado instantly dissipated and Faker jumped over and kicked Artilla twice, taking him down.

"Fools," Faker stated.

Kayo was the only one left, save Sebrian, and he looked uncertainly at the blue-skinned false He-Man.

Faker stopped suddenly, hand to his head. Kayo looked over at Sebrian, the old man glowing with a faint, ghostly energy.

"I can't hold him off for long, Kayo! His mind is a whirlwind of energy and circuits! I can't maintain a lock!"

"I gotcha," Kayo replied, rushing forward, armored arm at the ready. He slammed his metallic fist against Faker's head, knocking him backwards. Faker almost fell completely to the ground, but managed to stabilize himself at the last minute. This was not before Kayo was able to get the fake Sword of Power out from his hand.

Faker responded by striking at Kayo in the face. Kayo's helmet protected him, but it was enough of a distraction for Faker to attack Master Sebrian. His palm flat, he unleashed a beam of energy that struck at the old man. Caz, luckily, shoved him out of the way at the last second.

Kayo moved against Faker, but Faker was faster. His ribs were suddenly broken, his abdomen bruised. Faker then kicked him twice in the helmet, shattering it. Then, before Kayo could make another move, Faker punched once more in the face.

Nose and ribs broken, Kayo fell to the ground. He-Man had filled them in on Faker not long after the He-Slave incident, so he was aware of just who this new evil He-Man was. However, what was unknown was just how strong he was. It was now confirmed . . . he was just as strong. He had torn through the Galactic Guardians in almost the same way He-Man had not long after the champion of Grayskull had first arrived and took them all on that training mission.

"FAKER!"

Faker turned around at the sound of the voice. A smile slipped across his face.

"He-Man."

He-Man stood there, on the top of the hill, eyes scanning the fallen Galactic Guardians. The Sword of Power gleamed in the triple sunlight.

"I thought you were destroyed," He-Man said, walking forward.

"I assumed as much. But I strived. The Elfish energy that faded away when Oris collapsed, I absorbed much of it. I was sustained and breached the dimensional barriers and sought to find you once more."

He-Man nodded a little, taking in the computerized mimicry of his voice. Faker had grown. During their last encounter, Faker had shown some potential for growth, slowly becoming his own person – breaking away from Skeletor's programming. It seemed that while that had indeed occurred, it had taken a dark twist.

"Why? I thought you had grown, breaking beyond your own personal boundaries. Become more than just an evil blue reflection of myself."

"'The reflection of good is not evil. It's good.' Remember? I thought long and long about, running in through my programming over and over. I began to understand, to seek out answers as to my creation and my evolution. I have been a slave to Skeletor, then a threat to the Elves. I went on a long journey to seek out just who I was."

"And what has it brought you? After all that time, what have you come to?"

Faker stepped up a few steps. "I am evil. Where you are good, I am your evil. Your counterpart, as it were. Skeletor created me to be your opposite. Your reflect. I have found that you are wrong. I am evil. I am the evil He-Man."

"You have the capacity to be good, Faker. I had hoped after our last encounter, you would have figured at least that out."

"I am a cybernetic entity, He-Man. My brain is a computer. I am you, but darker."

"You don't have to be."

Faker pointed to Caz and Sebrian. "Kill them! Do it now!"

He-Man's forehead scrunched in confusion. "What?"

"You can't, can you?"

"I . . . no."

"And what of Skeletor? After all these years, he still lives. Why? Why haven't you killed him?"

"Because it's my . . ."

"Because it's your nature?" Faker questioned. "Yes it is. Just it is my nature to be evil. To lack the honor you have. The pleasure of life that you have. The dark creation and my cold logic allows me to be so very evil. To be your opposite. Your dark reflection." Faker then smiled. "Your blue reflection."

"What about them, Faker? You let them live! You can't tell me that you are nothing but evil if you can't even bring these enemies of yours to meet their end!"

"I need them, He-Man."

"Why?" He-Man then looked over at the blue energy sphere. "What is this?"

"The new beginning, He-Man! You already have a world. Eternia. I am therefore taking this one."

"I don't think so," He-Man defied.

"I do! This sphere is comprised of all the massive energies from the remains of Oris. I will transform this planet into a new Eternia – an evil Eternia! A fake Eternia. These people will be transformed into a new, evil Galactic Guardians! And then . . . we shall have a new reflection. A complete reflection."

"I will stop you, Faker."

"I counted on as much."

They ran towards each other, weapons drawn. Five years had passed since their last encounter. Five years since Oris. He-Man and Faker had both grown since then. Both learned since then. Faker had broken free from his programming. He-Man battled numerous enemies. But as their swords slammed against each other, He-Man and Faker knew that this battle would a near stalemate.

XXXX

"Woohoo! I'm a man again!"

Flipshot was jumping up and down, happy that the weight on his chest was gone and that everything felt just like it used to over three weeks ago.

"Yay, good for you," Genetix replied, sitting in a chair aware from any of the computer stations, hands shackled. "Are we back on Primus yet?"

"Almost. We just teleported He-Man down. Now it's matter of readjusting our orbit," Hydron replied. "WHOA! Flipshot, I need you here!"

Flipshot rushed to his commanding officer's side, eyes locking onto a monitor in front of them both. "Terror Pod coming in fast. Looks like it's been enhanced by magic and all of the safety interlocks have been disarmed."

"Send out a warning," Hydron ordered.

Flipshot went to work at the communications controls, but there was no response. His fingers then struck the sensor controls.

"One life-form. Eternian."

"Skeletor," Genetix stated.

"Duh!" Flipshot retorted. "I'm going to lock a tractor beam."

"Good idea. Looks like its slowing down now that it's reaching orbit."

Flipshot pressed a few keys on the sensor controls again. "I'm no longer reading the life-form," he reported.

XXXX

The battle unfolded as one would quite expect it would.

Over the humming sound of energy sphere, the clanging swords echoed into the air. They were matched completely, the battle seeming to be destined to be a stalemate. Faker and He-Man went to work, blades unendingly slamming against the other. Every thrust had its dodge, every slice a deflection, every maneuver a counter-maneuver.

"This is getting us nowhere, Faker," He-Man argued, swords crashing.

"Of course not, He-Man," Faker replied. "We are but reflections of each other. Surely you know this. We have been through it."

"You are no reflection of me!" He-Man roared and slashed faster than Faker could block.

The tip of the Sword of Power caught Faker flesh, rending just a little. A small spark blasted through the exposed skin.

"Well played," Faker retorted. "Perhaps we should move to working with our fists."

"I don't think so," He-Man snapped back and went for a deep thrust. Faker moved faster, though, and slashed at He-Man's arm. He-Man reached for the wound, only to have Faker plunge his faux Sword of Power deeper into the flesh.

The Sword of Power dropped to the ground. Faker, faster than He-Man ever thought he was, leapt forward and kicked He-Man square in the chest. He-Man went to the ground, Faker standing above him, blade at his neck.

"The time of your ending has come," Faker said. "I saved your life on the Carrier . . . so I could take it now!"

"Yes, Faker," came the voice of Skeletor, stepping up to them both. "Kill him."


	4. Shattered Mirror

Chapter Four – "Shattered Mirror"

"What are you waiting for, Faker? Do it!"

Faker to Skeletor, eyes wide. Skeletor, his master. Skeletor, his creator. Skeletor, who twice sent him against He-Man. Who claimed he was his greatest creation. Skeletor, who was supremely evil.

"Skeletor," Faker replied. His eyelids closed, eyeballs beneath twitching.

He-Man took advantage of this and kicked Faker's knee hard. Servos whirred loudly, spinning Faker off balance. He-Man rolled across the ground before either Faker or Skeletor could react. His left hand scooped up the Sword of Power. He wasn't as skilled with his left, but his right was bleeding and cut.

Skeletor sent a bolt of energy at He-Man. Easily, He-Man deflected the blast.

Skeletor suddenly felt his mind breached. He turned around and saw Sebrian standing nearby, hands on his head, concentrating his thoughts against the enemy.

"You again!" Skeletor snarled.

"I will deal with the old man, Skeletor," Faker said.

"NO!" shouted He-Man, rushing towards his mentor. Faker blocked his path and slammed himself against He-Man.

He-Man went rolling back.

Skeletor watched, then, as a blue-skinned, white-haired Faker-Teela came running out of the energy sphere. She ran with ferocity at Sebrian, eyes trained on him. He-Man tried to move to intercept her, but was only faced by Faker again.

Teela took Sebrian down with a kick to the back and punch to the head, then heaved him over her shoulder and ran back. She leapt back into the energy sphere, vanished once within.

"Faker, what is that?" asked Skeletor curiously.

"A sphere of energy that will soon overcome this entire world, recreating it into my own Eternia."

Skeletor nodded . . . then unleashed a full blast at Faker. Faker went flying backwards, body smoldering, but otherwise intact.

"I applaud you, but that power belongs to me. I created you, Faker. You belong to me, as does everything you create. I am your master!"

Faker stood up, staring at Skeletor. He looked to He-Man, as if searching for approval. He-Man just stared back, wondering what he would do next.

"I . . ."

"He created another one of you, Faker. His name was He-Slave. You weren't good enough."

"Silence, He-Man!" Skeletor roared, sighting a stream of lightning at his nemesis.

The Sword of Power intercepted the lightning, halting it in its place. It sheered off, ripping up part of the ground.

"You wouldn't listen to me, Faker, so why would you listen to him?"

"He created me."

"As I did, yes."

"FROM ME!" He-Man roared. "From my DNA!"

"I gave you life, Faker! I forged your spirit and your bones!"

Faker looked from the two of them, trying to come to terms with the two sworn enemies. Instead of making a decision, he took a few large steps back.

"This is irrelevant. Primus will be remade by my hands."

With that, Faker jumped back into the sphere.

"Skeletor . . ." He-Man began.

"The sphere must be destroyed," Skeletor replied, staring at the sphere. "The power here is chaotic and wild. He doesn't know what he's doing."

"We teaming up again?"

Skeletor said nothing.

The interior of the sphere looked much like a big, glowing blue dome. A half-constructed red Castle Grayskull sat behind Faker as he entered. There was nothing to the false Castle Grayskull, only the front and the left walls.

Mara and Sebrian were shackled to a huge pole in front of Castle Grayskull. Faker versions of Teela, Man-At-Arms, Ram-Man, Fisto, Man-E-Faces, Mekaneck, and Moss Man stood nearby, eyes closed, limbs limp.

"Sebrian!" shouted Faker. "How were you able to pierce Skeletor's thoughts?"

"I was able to do so before," Sebrian responded. "What are you doing here? What is this place?"

"SILENCE, SEBRIAN!" Faker roared. "What information did you gather from his mind?"

"I gathered nothing . . ."

"Do not lie."

Before Sebrian had the chance to retort, Faker placed his hand on his forehead. Elven energy flowed through Faker into Sebrian. Sebrian yelled out on his telepathic struggle against Faker was quelled immediately. His mind seemed to spew out what Sebrian knew about Skeletor . . . and what information he had gained during the last time Skeletor was on Primus.

When it was over, Faker withdrew himself from Sebrian's mind, his robotic brain absorbing every bit of information he could.

"Impossible . . ." Faker muttered. He walked off and then stared at his fake Castle Grayskull.

Faker knew what only a few did. From the thoughts ripped up from Master Sebrian, Faker knew that Skeletor was once the prince known as Keldor. Prince Keldor, son of Miro of Eternos. He knew that he had fallen from grace, becoming a traitor and ultimately, an enemy of the state. He knew that Keldor banished himself, and in time, became Skeletor during a battle with the Elders.

But Faker also garnered another stream of information from Sebrian. He knew that Prince Adam was He-Man. That Adam had gained the power of Grayskull and had become a hero to the state.

"I was wrong," Faker said. "There is a blue reflection of He-Man, but I am not it. Skeletor is. Skeletor is the reflection of He-Man. But who am I, then? What am I?"

Mara turned to Sebrian then, as Faker questioned himself.

"Are you okay?"

"Aside from a terrible headache, I am okay."

There was sudden ripping sound as He-Man and Skeletor entered the sphere.

"Faker!" roared He-Man, his right arm healed thanks to Skeletor's healing spell.

"Stop this madness!"

Faker turned to them both, red eyes fierce. "You dare command me? You dare challenge me? I am the best and worst of you both! I am the darkness that the two of have! I am your twisted reflections! I am Faker!" He pulled out his faux Sword of Power. "AND I WILL BE YOUR ENDING!"

As Faker yelled this, the blue dome above them wavered. The fake Castle Grayskull broke into huge chucks and vanished. The pole holding Sebrian and Mara faded away.

"Run," He-Man commanded them.

"But - "

"Now!"

Sebrian grabbed Mara's arm and the two of them left the sphere.

The fake Heroic Warriors collapsed.

Skeletor unleashed a smashing blast of energy at Faker. It struck his blade, then veered away. He-Man slid forward, punching Faker across the face. Faker snapped back – only to be hit again from Skeletor's lightning blast. Faker punched He-Man while massive lightning steams ripped across his flesh. But Faker didn't stop. His fists moved faster than He-Man ever expected, battering his torso and face.

He-Man smashed his knuckles against Faker's nose. Faker stumbled back, allowing Skeletor another strike at him. Faker went to raise his blade, but He-Man moved fast, taking advantage of the lighting streams flowing from Skeletor's hands now.

He-Man ripped at Faker's arm, tearing the metal bone from its socket. The entire limb went limp, the faux Sword of Power dropped to the ground. Faker, in response, put his left hand to the back of He-Man's neck. He-Man, in response to that, put both hands around Faker's neck. Lighting blasts cascaded across both of them now.

It was as they were choking each other that He-Man had a sudden revelation. He saw in Faker's face his own. _That could have been me,_ he realized incredible shock. _Everything dark and evil that I could have been is standing right before me, being choked by my own hands._

Another full blast from Skeletor forced He-Man and Faker to flying back from each other. Skeletor then unleashed a major bolt of power at Faker's chest. The harness was destroyed, the flesh and muscle of the chest torn away, revealing a computer panel.

"The power core, He-Man!" Skeletor shouted, now launching lightning streams across Faker's body. "Strike it! Destroy it and this is over!"

He-Man rushed forward. His right arm went for Faker's chest, but Faker grabbed his wrist to stop him. Faker's face was suddenly sympathetic. He-Man closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered . . . then slammed his fist through Faker's metallic chest. The metal was ripped right through and could feel his hand burn and ache from the heat of Faker's energy source.

He pulled away from Faker, massive bolts of energy issuing forth from his flailing body. The sphere wavered, vanishing away, pulling into Faker. He-Man leapt back, out from the remains of the sphere and landed just outside of its shrinking circumference. Skeletor stood next to him and the Galactic Guardians were nearby, eyes glued to Faker.

Faker stood there, energy ripped into him, his entire body glowing white hot. Then, as the last of the sphere poured against, there was a blast of terrible blue and white light.

And then . . . Faker was gone.


	5. Walking On

Chapter Five – "Walking On"

"Hey."

He-Man looked up at the door. Mara stood there, an uncertain look on her face.

"Hey," He-Man replied. "Thanks for you seeing me."

"Not a problem."

She stepped in fully. The two hugged and He-Man kissed her on the cheek, then the lips. She attempted a smile, then the two of them sat down. They were in the cafeteria of the Command Center in Onnar. Outside, it was pouring rain. It had been only a day since the battle with Faker and He-Man felt shaken. It was as though he had peered within himself when he looked at Faker and saw what he could have been.

It also brought to surface all of the doubts he had regarding being with Mara in the first place. He was understanding that this had not been the right thing to do – putting her in the crossfire.

"Mara, listen, we need to talk."

Mara sighed. "Let me guess, He-Man. That evil thing with your face made you suddenly think that you couldn't be in a relationship. Am I right?"

He-Man nodded. "Yes," he answered, surprised that she knew him so well only after a month. "I can't risk putting you in danger. Not again."

Mara looked away. "There's no changing your mind, then? No convincing you otherwise? I can't try and tell you that this would not happen. That your fear is not quite real. That I can take of myself."

"It's all a risk."

"So is putting your heart out there, He-Man. So is starting a relationship. Everything is a risk. And I have to ask you this. You told me about your relationships on Eternia and about how it almost cost one of the people you loved their life. Tell me, He-Man? Did you argue with her? Did you fight for the love you had? Or did you just let this whole line of thought that she would get killed be your excuse?"

"What are you talking about?" He-Man questioned.

"I'm asking you, He-Man. You're the most powerful man in universe, so they say. You're embued with powers beyond any ordinary man or woman. When this girl back on Eternia broke things off, did you tell her that you could protect her? That you were strong enough for the two of you?"

"I . . . no. No, I didn't. It would have been a lie."

"She _almost _died, He-Man. She didn't die, right? She survived. You saved her. That's what you do," Mara retorted, her voice filling with anger. "And just because I get kidnapped and you have to fight some sort ugly imitation of yourself, you feel like it's over? That you need to break up with me?"

"You could have died."

"That's crap and you know it! You would have stormed in there and saved me. I trusted you too. And if I didn't believe you'd do that, then I wouldn't have gotten involved in the first place."

"Mara . . ."

"No. Don't even start because I'm not finished. I knew this was coming. I started to realize it yesterday after the battle and all you did was make sure I was okay, then walked off. Didn't even bother to hug me or even – for goodness sake – chase after Skeletor. You just checked me out and left. I thought about it all last night. All of it. And I've decided it's either one of two things. First, you really are worried that someone will die because they have a relationship with you. The second is that you're either pushing women away or not pursuing them because you don't really love them."

"Stop it. Now!"

"NO! No, I will not. Damn it, He-Man, the fact that you're so evasive about this tells me that it's so. There's someone else! Someone you've loved for a long time but it's too complicated for you. So you try out other women, hoping to make it feel like it did with that first one. But it doesn't. And that's why you give up so - "

"THAT'S ENOUGH, MARA!" He-Man roared, slamming his fists against the table, cracking. Mara jumped in her seat, eyes wide.

He-Man huffed and looked away. Mara sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me too."

Mara stood up and walked out.

XXXX

It was Prince Adam that stood on the top of Sebrian's roof, staring up at the stars. Most of his time during the relationship with Mara had been spent at He-Man, so this was the first time in a long while that he had been Adam for a few hours.

Which was fine for him, because after everything, he didn't feel much like being He-Man. Now, standing on the roof, Adam pulled out his Sword of Power and focused his thoughts on it. He could feel a connection growing and expanded between his mind, the Sword of Power, and Castle Grayskull. Communication between Adam and the Sorceress had been sparse since his arrival on Primus, but they still spoke when the time and energy was available.

_Adam, what is it?_ asked the Sorceress.

"I just had a battle with Faker. To defeat him, I had to destroy him. After our confrontation in Oris, I had thought he had grown beyond his programming. He had, but not how I would have liked him to. He became dark. Evil. Sorceress, I think he was alive."

The Sorceress paused. _I do not believe you destroyed him, Adam._

"What do you mean?"

_Faker's power is somewhat joined with Castle Grayskull. Not to your extent, but there is a connection. I would have sensed his destruction._

"Are you sure? I mean, he exploded right in front of me."

_It is possible that part of him lingers on, in some form or another, on another dimensional plain. I believe, however, what you did was right and justified. Faker had to be destroyed and you did so._

"I . . . suppose. To be honest, Sorceress, I . . . I saw something in his face as I prepared to finish him off. I saw myself. What I could have been. It was like I looking at what I could have been had it not been for the good in my life. It's that line thought that makes me think that I should have done more with Faker."

_Skeletor programmed Faker to be evil, Adam. You know this._

"I know, but he had broken free from his programming."

_Had he? Perhaps yes, perhaps not. Perhaps it was still affecting him in subtle ways, behind all of his motives._

"I would like to believe that . . ." Adam paused and took in a deep breath. "How are things back on Eternia?"

The Sorceress paused briefly. _They are . . . it is safe._

"And Teela? My sister? Are they okay?"

Another pause. _To the greatest extent of my knowledge, they are healthy._

"Good. Tell them I said hello."

_I shall, though as I have told you before, my communications with them are not very often_. She paused once more_. I'm afraid my connection is fading. I will speak to you again. Soon._

"Of course. Good journey, Sorceress."

His mind was drawn back to the present. Adam turned and walked back into the house. Master Sebrian looked up from a book.

"I'm heading back to Leviton, Master Sebrian."

Sebrian stood up and nodded. "All right."

They said their good byes and Adam left for the transport that would take him back to his home in Leviton. Sebrian was up for a good while longer, thinking of both Adam and Keldor, He-Man and Skeletor. Their similarities . . . their differences.

"They aren't quite as different from each other as they think they are," he mumbled to himself as he locked up the house for the night. "But it is those vast differences that set them apart."

He had been wrestling with whether or not to tell Adam about his relation to Skeletor, but decided it was for the best that he did not. It was simply not his place. Sebrian turned down most of the nights, reviewed the information gathered from Genetix regarding the Mutants, and then went to bed.

XXXX

Adam awoke the next day. He washed up. Got dressed. His thoughts and musing about Faker and Mara lingered throughout night, preventing him from a full nights sleep. But Adam knew that he had to put that all behind him. He had a life to live. A war to fight. Enemies to halt.

He opened the door and Adam prepared for a brand new day.


End file.
